Gate of Passage
by EternallyDrowning
Summary: Welcome. I am Izuko, Guardian of the Gate of Grudges, where those who are murdered or hold grudges go. You have three choices: Accept your death and go to heaven, deny your death and be a ghost on earth, and one more. You may haunt and kill one person...


**Personally, I am quite surprised that no one had written a story for this manga yet. The storyline and concept is so amazing, I'm still in shock that I was the one to request the category. Has no one else heard of this manga!?**

**Whether you have heard of it or not, please enjoy. I liked making this story, and I hope you enjoy reading it.**

**Rated M just to be safe.**

* * *

Akane Tokiha awoke in a strange place. She was standing, her feet shoeless and sockless, the naked skin pressing against the cold ground of some sort of paved path. Though her feet were freezing, the hot, muggy air around her made her extremely warm, almost dizzy, in its pressure. She felt like she was suffocating, like she was claustrophobic, yet she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was in a cavernous place, where the ceiling was miles above her, if there was a ceiling at all.

She tried see, but all that she was able to make out was darkness, darkness veiled by a thick foggy mist that formed illusions of shadows and movement in her eyes. It was a vast place, a lonely place, a place she had never before seen in her life.

'Where am I?' she thought.

"Welcome."

Akane was startled at the sound of a woman's voice coming from behind her, though she had felt no presence of a person at all in this strange and unknown place. Slowly, she turned around to see the owner of the voice, still somewhat confused as to what was happening.

She gasped.

The woman was beautiful, in a terrifying sort of way. She was sitting very casually, yet respectfully, and well poised on one of the many stone steps that ascended behind her. Her hair was jet black, reaching down to her lower back, and resting gracefully against the step she was sitting on. Her clothing was a stunning kimono, in colors like the place around her; dark. Its threading brought out colors of dark gray, purple, and blue, but the overall color was black. Almost as dark as her hair. Her features were sharp, yet gentle, forming the face of an exquisitely beautiful woman. But the aura around her, it made Akane feel very afraid.

"Who…who are you?" Akane managed to speak out, her voice quivering in some unknown fear.

The woman made no change in expression, or movement, she merely stared at the young high-schooler and began to speak, "I am Izuko, Guardian of the Gate."

"Guardian of the…Gate?" she asked, awed and confused, yet terrified of the strange and beautiful woman before her.

"Yes," the woman in black replied, locking her fingers together on her lap, "This is the Gate of Grudges, where those who are murdered or hold grudges go."

Suddenly, the air seemed to clear, to lighten, giving Akane just enough visibility to see, though the fog around her hadn't appeared to become thinner in the least. The woman, Izuko, was sitting under a gigantic torii gate, as though she were in some sort of vast shrine. The pillars of the gate were what appeared to be wood, like any other shrine gate she had seen, though the wood was old, aged, with a dingy gray color, yet it looked extremely sturdy, like time hadn't affected it at all. The steps she was sitting on continued on behind her, rising at a gentle acute angle above the ground until she lost sight of how high they went, or where they lead to.

The young girl was in awe by it; its size and strangeness, as well as its dream-like appeal. She was so engrossed in the massive structure that she almost didn't comprehend what the woman had just said to her. It took a few moments for her words to sink in, and even then, Akane needed to confirm the horrible truth that suddenly filled her mind. "Wait, where murdered go… You mean I'm… dead?"

"Yes," Izuko said calmly, as though the fact didn't bother her in the least, yet she was still considerate enough to break the news to the girl gently, "You're physical body has died, and your spirit has come here, to the gate, to begin the next part of its journey."

"You must be joking!" the girl somewhat laughed, the breaking sound coming out of her throat hysterically, "There's no way I could be dead! I was… I was…" She tried to finish her sentence, but for some reasons she couldn't. She was going to declare what she had been doing only a moment before she had come here, to prove that there was some sort of mistake, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to remember. What had happened? She tried to concentrate, to focus, but everything was blank. Was she walking down a dark street at night? Was it even nighttime, or was it still day? Where had she been going, and what for? The very fact that she couldn't remember such simple things terrified her, and she soon felt her eyes filling up with tears. "What's happening!?" she cried, collapsing onto the cold stone ground in distress, her hands covering her face as she bawled.

"It is all right," came Izuko's soothing voice, "The past no longer matters. You need to accept your death in order to move on, in order for you to start your journey."

"Journey?" Akane repeated in a daze, the shock at realizing she was dead, murdered even, still making her head spin, her face still soggy with tears, her voice breaking from crying.

'That's right,' she thought finally, realization dawning on her, 'I've been killed. Someone killed me.'

"I want to know," the murdered girl hoarsely whispered, her hands clenching tightly at her sides until her arms started shaking, "I want to know who took my life. I want to know who killed me!"

"Knowing who killed you will not change anything," the woman in black reminded calmly, "Why not just accept your death and move on? You will live again in your next life."

"Do you know who did it?" Akane asked, a slight anger to the edge of her voice. She was angry, depressed, terrified… She was a simple high-school girl. Why did she have to die? She had her whole life ahead of her! What had she ever done that made her deserve to die? She couldn't remember crossing anyone. Yet here she was, in the belly of death, all by herself. This couldn't be happening! Her boyfriend, Akira, and her were going to be celebrating their ten month anniversary in a couple of days. She was going to help her best friend, Miyabi, pick out the perfect outfit for her first date! She couldn't just die and leave them. She couldn't leave her boyfriend, her girlfriends, and her family. Her annoying little brother would be all alone without her, the last child of a broken marriage with their mom.. Their heartbroken mom…

"Yes," Izuko answered, "I am aware of who ended your life."

Akane looked at the Guardian of the Gate with eyes full of resolve.

"Show me."

* * *

Akane was in a room she knew very well.

A spacious room, with wide windows, though they were all sealed with thick blue curtains. The walls were a light gray, looking almost hazy blue in the small light that made its way through the curtained windows. The floor was made of wooden planks, glossed with a shining finish. There was a wide screen TV to the left, a reclining chair by the westernmost window, and a large fluffy sofa in the center of the room, angled to view both the TV and the balcony.

Akira's living room.

Two people were sitting on the sofa, both not speaking, looking toward the wall, though there was nothing there to look at. One was a beautiful girl with an angelic face. She was usually bright, and alive, with stunning chocolate eyes, and silken onyx hair. Today, however, her eyes were dull, dead, like she had no willpower any more. She must have been in a daze all day, for the usually fashionable girl was dressed in a bulky tan sweater and unflattering blue jeans. Her hair was simply thrown up and clipped behind her head, instead of straitened and hanging down to her shoulders.

"Miyabi…" Akane breathed, saddened by how depressed her best friend was.

Miyabi was someone Akane had always looked up to. She was smart, funny, innocent, and beautiful. She was the kind of girl that many of the boys fell in love with, but was too innocent to let it get to her head, too sweet to play with their hearts by making them think they had a chance when they didn't. She was a girl who was into romance, saving herself for her true love, never going on dates because she hadn't felt she was mature enough to get married.

Akane held back a sob.

Today was the day she was supposed to go on her first date. After a whole bunch of convincing Akane had finally talked Miyabi into accepting the invitation Touya from class A had offered her about going to the street fair. He was a respectable boy, who had always had a crush on Miyabi, but had never said anything about it because he knew her values and beliefs. He was always there to help her when she didn't get things, and was always there when she needed someone to go with her somewhere. Touya had finally asked her to go to the street fair because a whole group of people were going, so it wouldn't feel much like a date, but they'd get to know each other more.

Akane was so happy for her.

They would have made a cute couple, the two school idols together at last, having an innocent yet romantic time at the street fair, making memories and buying adorable little things for each other.

If only she had gone.

Beside her was a boy from class D. He was called a delinquent because he bleached his shaggy spiked hair to a light brown and pierced both his ears multiple times, as well as his eyebrow and lip. He was the clown of the class, the sarcastic, rebellious boy who made everyone feel better. His laugh was loud and true hearted, ringing beautifully loud over everyone else's. He was overprotective, quick to anger, impulsive, and somewhat cruel in some of his pranks on other students, but he was an overall good guy. He was there when you needed him, and he always seemed to understand what you were feeling, even if you couldn't say it yourself.

But today, he was just as empty and depressed as Miyabi.

The very sight of them this way made Akane's heart ache.

"Miyabi! Akira!" the spirit of the high-schooler pleaded, "Please, don't look so sad… it's painful to me to see you this way. I-" but before she could finish her unheard speech, the boy started talking.

"I still can't believe she's dead," Akira said finally, his voice void of emotion, his hands clutching an empty soda can, his gaze blank, his body limp, "I just feel…numb."

"I know," Miyabi answered, her voice just as monotonous as Akira's, "I'm still half expecting her to burst through the door and say it was all just a prank."

"Yeah, that was like her, always" Akira's emotions finally got the better of him and he let out a large gasp of air as the tears started coming down, his arms trembling as he tried his best to hold them in, "She was always so… so…" again, he couldn't finish his sentence, instead his voice came out as hyperventilation as he started bawling, crushing the can in his hands all together until it was nothing but a heap of sharp edges.

"Akira…" Miyabi said quietly, almost shocked at the breakdown of her friend. She had never seen him cry before, she'd never seen any guy cry before, so she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't even know what to do for herself, she was still just as numb as before, still not quite able to comprehend everything that was going on. Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, hoping it was the right thing to do to give him comfort.

"I-I… I just can't… can't b-believe that she's g-gone!" he stuttered through his tears, relaxed enough by Miyabi's hand to speak his true mind. He grabbed the fabric of her sweater between his fingers and leaned into her chest, "I was… was even" he took in a deep breath to make his voice audible through his tears, "I was go-gonna take her to… to that new F-French place for our anni-anniversary! I even s-saved for three… three months to make it sp-special!"

"Akane would have liked that," Miyabi said gently, her own eyes starting to water as Akira continued to sob into her chest. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders delicately, trying to sooth the pain in her chest by soothing his.

"You…you think so?" he asked, a loud hiccup erupting from his voice as he tried to take in enough air to breathe through his tears.

"I do," she replied.

Akira pushed away from her chest, just enough to look up at her face, into her eyes, meeting them with his own teary ones. His gruff appeal was completely gone, all that was left was a scared, lonely boy, who had lost the thing he loved in the world. Gazing into the eyes of someone who had also lost the most precious thing to them, he felt a sort of attachment, a peace. He leaned upward, closing the space between them until he brushed his lips against hers, adding more force after he had experienced the feeling, making it a full fledged kiss.

"Akira?" Miyabi asked uncertainly once she pushed him away, not quite sure what had brought on Akira's actions. He wasn't the type of guy to go around kissing any girl he saw that he thought was pretty…

"Please, Miyabi, I need to feel something…" he sobbed, his hands reaching to her shoulders and grabbing them tightly, as though to prove his need, "I need to feel something besides this ache in my chest… Please…" he begged, the pleading reaching into his eyes.

Miyabi took it in, the feelings he was expressing, the situation, the pain they'd both been through, the need to feel something good that they both had. "I understand." she said, running her hands through his hair and pressing her lips against his own, initiating the second kiss.

They leaned in closer, their bodies pressing together, Akira slowly pushing her down onto the sofa, his lips never leaving hers for a second. He parted her lips with his tongue, his saliva dripping down his chin and onto hers as he needily felt inside her mouth, her taste mixing with his. He moaned into her flavor, and the fact that no one else had before tasted it.

"Hnn…" she gasped as Akira ran his hand up her sweater, caressing the warm skin as he worked his way up. In a skilled motion, he unclipped her bra and was free to grope and fondle her defenseless flesh, his hand cupping around her breast roughly, clenching and making circular motions, ignoring her pained gasp. Using his two fingers, he pinched the nipple, feeling it perk up as she winced. He teased it with his thumb as his other hand made its decent down toward her jeans.

Akane couldn't believe it.

Her boyfriend and best friend, together, only _days_ after her death!? She was infuriated, disgusted, betrayed... She knew that they must be in pain and anguish over her death and in need of comfort, but this was not the type of comfort she had wanted them to give each other.

She couldn't believe that Akira would do something like to her and Miyabi; the both of them. Everyone knew Miyabi's morals. Yet Akira had so openly demanded her to have sex with him. It was appalling!

The murdered girl felt more disgusted with each second, watching as her boyfriend penetrated her best friend in a lustful, greedy fashion, not showing the least bit of trying to be gentle with the virgin girl. He thrust into her harshly, repeatedly, ignoring the pained yelps she made as the pain got worse. He was unrelenting; gripping harshly onto her shoulder to keep himself on her, digging his nails into her skin deep enough to make her wince. Tears welled in the corners of Miyabi's eyes, threatening to come out from the agony of it, but her whimpers were cut off as he stole another kiss from her lips, barely able to keep the saliva between them as he ran he tongue everywhere.

"Akira!" Akane screamed at him, though her fury landed on deaf ears. Even if she were still alive and able to be heard by the living, she still doubted she would be heard. Her boyfriends grunts and moans were too loud. Her hands clawed at her hair in a frenzy, tears streaming down her face again. Not even she had had sex with Akira yet. She had decided to do it with him on their anniversary, as a present to him. It made the scene before him all the more agonizing. "Why is this happening!" she screamed again, this time to no one in particular. She felt she was going to vomit, or swoon. Everything was spinning so fast, out of control. She just wanted everything to go away. She wanted to open her eyes again and be back in her warm bed, having all of this just been a terribly vivid dream.

"You wanted the truth." Izuko said from behind her, a dark presence somewhere off in a shadowed corner.

Akane turned and sent a chilling glare to the Guardian of the Gate. She knew it wasn't Izuko's fault, but she felt like she needed to glare at something that could actually see her and feel her heated gaze.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akane demanded angrily.

She had come to see who murdered her, not to see her best friend and her boyfriend hooking up in front of her. She didn't understand how having her heart ripped out by their betrayal had anything to do with finding out who murdered her. If anything, it made her wish she were alive, just so she could die again.

Izuko said nothing, instead looked toward the two fornicating people on the creaking sofa. She stretched out her arm, waving it toward them in a swooping motion. The air in the room seemed to change, to alter, to shimmer. Not understanding what just happened, Akane was staring at the sofa, which no longer held Akira. Now only Miyabi was on it, her eyes closed, her breathing steady; sleeping. Confused, worried, Akane looked around the room frantically, searching for where her boyfriend could have gone. There was no sign of him, not until his voice echoed from the balcony.

"I told you I could get her to sleep with me," he said, a wolfish grin plastered on his face as he spoke into his cell phone. He was leaning against the stone balcony, his arm forming a kind of pillow for his chest. "I believe you owe five-hundred."

The person on the other end gave a loud protest, but Akane could not hear what it was, though she thought it quite resembled a loud curse. The voice calmed down, and seemed to be saying something that Akira found highly amusing, for his grin widened.

"What was she like? A virgin, my friend, is the best lay you could ever have. That look of doubt and confusion in their eyes, yet they're completely willing. Uncharted territory. A claiming. Miyabi was by far the best, so trusting and relaxed. It was much easier to get her to agree than I thought it would be. I just did the whole grief trick, added a few tears, and a bit of acting, and I got her."

Akane felt her heart jump up to her throat.

He was talking about women, _Miyabi_, like that! She couldn't believe it, and was too disgusted and shocked to even stutter her outrage.

Unknown to Akira, he listened to the answer of his "friend", though what he had to say brought a sharpness to his eyes, and an angry hiss out of his lips.

"Of course she doesn't suspect anything!" he spat, gripping the phone tightly with his hand, "For all she knows, Akane died of a simple mugging! Why on earth would she suspect me!? I made sure I left no traces when I killed her!"

Akane felt the entire world rush at her.

"Look, it wasn't my fault! That stupid bitch just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She saw me raping that girl, the one at that deserted restaurant by the park. I don't think she recognized me, but I couldn't take any chances. I jumped her and slit her throat. She didn't even have time to scream."

"It can't be…Akira…" Akane breathed, her mind void of anything but denial. Akira, her boyfriend, the one she loved more than anyone else in the world, killed her. And for what? To get into the pants of other girls, her best friend, whether they liked it or not? There was no way such a thing could be!

"Pity though," Akira said at last, looking out at the vast city below him, a slightly regretful expression on his face, "She probably would have been a good lay too…"

Everything went dark. A prickling feeling of dread made its way across Akane's skin. Her head was still swimming with all she had learned, so much so that she did not realize that Izuko had returned them to the world they had first met. The world of passage; the large torii gate still rising nobly behind her. It wasn't until she became incredibly warm, yet incredibly cold, at the same time. An overwhelming pressure, yet openness. The contradicting world of souls. Yet, all Akane really noticed of the place was the feeling of its rough dirt clenched between her fists as she bawled into the ground, the truth of her death more devastating than she had ever imagined.

All she wanted to do was wallow in her agony, to let the feelings just poor out of her until she felt even a little bit better, though she felt it would never be so. Mostly, she just wanted to be alone; she wanted the Guardian of the Gate to just go away.

But she was still there.

"There are three paths you may choose from," Izuko started, watching the spirit of the girl as she cried over the truth of her death, "One, you may accept your death and begin your journey to Heaven where you will be reborn; two, you may deny your death and remain as a ghost on earth for eternity; and one more," Izuko turned to her with a haunting look on her face, "You may haunt and kill one person."

"Haunt and…kill?" Akane breathed, her sobs silencing for a moment as she took in the words, her hands relaxing.

Kill.

She could kill him.

She could get retribution…

"Be aware, however," Izuko interrupted her thoughts, "that killing someone, whether in life or in death, will send you strait to hell, to suffer unrelenting, unimaginable pain and loneliness for all eternity."

Akane let out a loud hiccup at the irony.

"More pain than being killed by someone you loved, more deeply than anyone else? More loneliness than knowing you will be parted from everyone you've ever known forever, while they still get to live? After what happened, why shouldn't there be retribution!? Why shouldn't there be justice!?"

"Why sacrifice your soul for someone like him? There are other choices. You can still embark on your journey to heaven. You can start over. Why not try again, live again, one more time?" Izuko reminded gently.

"No one knows he killed me!" Akane cried, tears of anger streaming down her face, "It isn't fair! Why does he get to live happily after what he did to me, to the others!? Why should he get to live when I didn't? It's not fair! It's not fair! It's not-" her emotions overwhelmed her once again, the hatred, the disgust, the sadness, the resentment, they over powered her, and all she could do was continue to claw at the ground, her nails digging at the dirt just to keep her sane. "Kill him. I want to kill him. A man like him should just die!" she screamed.

"Is that your choice?"

Akane froze, Izuko's questiong ringing in the hollow of her mind. Did she really want to kill him? Did she really want to go to hell? He had betrayed her, murdered her, threw her away like she was nothing even though she loved him more dearly than anyone she had ever known. The very thought of being betrayed on such a level made her want to vomit in loathing. How had she loved someone like him? How had she not known? How could she have loved someone like that? A liar, a killer, a psychopath, a narcissist… He'd just be getting what was coming to him if he died!

'Of course,' she thought, 'It's just karma. I'm just fulfilling the will of the universe, the will of the heavens! He killed someone, he killed me, so he himself must die!'

"Yes. I will haunt and kill Akira. That is my decision," Akane hissed, clenching the ground between her fingers.

"Very well," Izuko said, closing her eyes, taking the decision with a hint of disappointment, "Do not regret your decision."

Akane said nothing.

* * *

Akira walked down the dark alleyway, scoping the darkness for his next exciting conquest. Normally, alleyways weren't a good place for hunting, women were far too smart to walk down an alley all alone at night, but tonight was different. There was a huge party going on in the apartment complex down the street. All the main roads would be too risky, and no one would want to be caught if avoidable. Because of this, people would be using back-ways to try and avoid the police, who would arrest them for underage drinking, drug use, and a "disturbance of the peace". He had not even been looking for more than fifteen minutes before he spotted her.

A high schooler, by the looks of it. That was for the best. Older women tended to be stronger, and more willing to fight back. Akira was strong, what with him being a guy, but still. The chance of a high school girl escaping him was a lot smaller than an older woman fighting free of him.

She didn't look too bad either, from what he could see of her back. Her hair was down to her shoulders, and well taken care of. Her figure was very curvy, her ass well shaped, and her legs very fine… long and muscular.

Akira couldn't help but lick his lips as he started closing in on her.

Quickly, he was upon her. His arm wrapped around her wait, pinning her arms to her side, his other arm tight across her shoulder, his hand clamping painfully tight against her mouth. She stiffened immediately, a yelp of fear and protest trying to make its way out of her lips.

"Even if you could scream, I'd kill you before you'd get the chance," Akira purred into her ear. He was already hard at the thought of ravaging her. Eagerly, he spun her around, still maintaining his control over her. He couldn't help but feel anticipation to see the beautiful face that belonged to the body, the beautiful face that would be filled with fear only for him. Her hair swayed out of her face and she was…

"Im…possible…" he gasped, looking at the oh-so familiar face of his classmate. Her skin was smooth, her nose small and round, her lips pretty and plump. But, there, beneath her chin, was a red, deep line. A cut, caused by the edge of a lethally sharp blade. He looked at her, horror struck and trembling. Looking back at him was the face of Akane Tokiha, the woman he murdered.

"Hello Akira," she said coldly, her eyes narrowing as she took in his form, "Surprised to see me?"

He whimpered.

"I once told you I'd give you my heart," she said icily, "It's only fair you give me yours." Her arm shot out, reaching through his arm as though it were air, digging her hand strait into his chest. He let out a shocked sob, before the pain hit. The hand had somehow solidified, yet it was still passing through his arm, and his chest… It was clutching something, grabbing hold of it tightly. He felt his breath leave him, his body starting to go numb, his vision going blank. He gazed into her eyes again, those familiar smiling eyes. They weren't smiling anymore, they were frozen, dull, with a sadistic triumphant gleam to them. She was clutching his heart, squeezing tighter, and tighter, squeezing the very life out of him.

Akira's knees gave way, his body falling limply to the floor, passing through Akane as he fell. She watched him, watching his eyes as they lost their glow of life, his skin going pale, his face stuck as one of shock and terror.

Akane Tokiha watched until Akira died.

* * *

Once again, Akane Tokiha was in the strange, unnatural land of passage; this time, she knew, for the last time. The large torii gate was still just as haunting, majestic, as the first time she saw it. The strange fog that engulfed the place was still obscuring her view, but she was not concerned. She knew where to go. For some reason, she knew which direction to walk to. Her feet carried her, though she knew not where to.

"Have you done it?" came the calm, haunting voice of a woman.

She froze.

She had not expected Izuko to see her off. Then again, she was the Guardian of the Gate, it was her job to make sure that souls got to where they had chosen to go. Akane nearly laughed at her foolishness. Of course Izuko would see her off.

Akane decided it was only polite to answer her question, for all she had done, so the girl destined for Hell nodded once.

Izuko was silent.

Akane was about to continue on, through the thick fog-like mist that was starting to surround her. It was then she remembered a question the Guardian of the Gate had once raised, a question she had never truly answered. She decided, for both Izuko and herself, to answer now.

"You asked me why I would sacrifice my soul for him…" Akane said, turning slowly toward Izuko, a sad smile crossing across her lips as she decided upon her answer. "It's because I truly loved him… with all of my soul."

With those last words, she stepped into the heavy mist, walking strait into whatever horrors waited for her in the beyond.

Izuko watched her disappear, until there were no signs that the girl had ever been there, her heart slightly sinking. She had obeyed the one rule that had been given to her when she was first assigned to guard the Gate of Grudges: she had never chosen a decision for any soul. Yet she could not understand why Akane had chosen as she had, why any one who had chosen such a fate had done so. It was always more painful to cling to their feelings of despair and agony, so why not release themselves of them, and live again? She looked up toward the sky, if there truly was a sky in this world.

'Perhaps,' she thought, 'that is all they have to live for. Perhaps-'

But she was not able to complete her train of thought, for the next soul had arrived.

A man was standing before her. He was looking quite confused, and scared, his plump body shaking, his meaty hands clutching his thinning hair, his eyes wide and teary. He was clearly shaken by something he had seen. So shaken, that he had not realized he had died and come to the world of passage.

"Welcome," Izuko said, "I am Izuko, Guardian of the Gate…"


End file.
